Iran attacks and disables two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz

Two oil tankers from the United Arab Emirates, Al-Bahiya and Mombasa, were hit by Iranian missiles in the southern sector of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels were in Omani territorial waters at the time of the attack.

The UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed that as a result, an Indian sailor, a crew member on board the Mombasa tanker, lost his life.

In a statement posted on its official Telegram channel, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had “struck and neutralized” two supertankers. Iranian authorities labeled these vessels as “rebel ships.”

According to the IRGC’s explanation, the tankers had deactivated their navigation equipment and ignored orders given by Iranian forces. Furthermore, they had attempted to traverse a sea corridor that was mined, the Guards claimed.

However, in their response, the IRGC did not mention the names of the ships they claim to have attacked, nor the flag under which they were sailing or the exact timing of the strike.